Medical news 2026: A nationwide survey conducted recently has revealed that close to 91% of the Indian doctors are not willing to make their children pursue a career in medicine. The findings of the survey have raised concerns about the future of the healthcare system in the coming times.

The study spanning six months was carried out by the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation. It conducted the survey on approximately 1200 physicians based in smaller cities and across metropolitan centres. The survey’s participants represented both public, as well as private healthcare institutions, spanning specialities such as general medicine, surgery, gynaecology and pediatrics.

Docs fear burnout, violence and legal troubles

The findings revealed that almost 78% of the respondents experienced high levels of burnout last year. According to international data published in JAMA, depression among physicians roughly stands at 29%. 

84% of doctors who participated in the survey said that they fear verbal or physical assault from either patients or attendants, while 67% of them revealed that they have already faced at least one medico-legal complaint during the course of their careers. Many of them cited emotional exhaustion, chronic sleep deprivations and long working hours as major contributors to stress.

Medical news 2026: 6+ out of 10 believe public’s trust in doctors has eroded

More than six in ten doctors now believe that the trust of the general public in medical services has eroded. A lot of them described feeling undervalued despite years of personal sacrifice, training and hard work. When compared with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where only a small chunk of doctors discourage their children from entering the medical profession, the grim figures from India paint a worrisome picture about the state of the medical services in India in the coming years. 

The worrisome statistics come at a time, when India is already grappling under a crunch of doctors, with a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1 doctor per 1,456 people. Notably, this is below the benchmark recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).